


Permanent Fashion

by NightwingNinja17



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29272596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightwingNinja17/pseuds/NightwingNinja17
Summary: "He has an emotional attachment to the case that makes it difficult to break." Weaver leaned up against the back of the desk and made it look like he was being nonchalant about this."If you can't break him of his little obsession, then I shall find someone who can do it in a more...permanent fashion. The choice is entirely yours." Belfry just stood there looking smug.Set during the episode Eloise Garner Season 7, What would have happened if Victoria Belfry decided to take matters into her own hands and try and stop Rogers from finding Eloise or Gothel as everyone else called her? What if it ended in a way no one expected.
Relationships: Wishverse Captain Hook | Detective Rogers & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Threat

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this as much as I am having fun writing this! 
> 
> This story is loosely based on Episode 1 of Season 5 of Criminal Minds. I rewatched the episode of OUAT where Victoria mentions she would end Rogers’ obsession with the Eloise Gardner case in a more permanent fashion and saw how her threat wasn’t really there. She didn’t act on it. I then remembered the Criminal Minds episode where Hotchner gets badly injured by someone he was going after. 
> 
> And I thought why not combine the two? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and please leave any ideas as to how you would like this story to go. I have about 8 chapters written and I will post a chapter every time I finish one as a reward for myself for actually working toward finishing this story, so I hope that you don’t mind waiting sometimes. 
> 
> Anyway, this is becoming too long of an author’s note so without further ado, please enjoy Permanent Fashion! :)

Detective Weaver didn’t know why he had decided to walk into the Belfry tower. But he did anyway. It wasn’t something he would ever do voluntarily, however, he felt obligated to do so.  
He walked out and found Victoria Belfry staring at a pair of shoes that belonged to her daughter. Weaver didn’t quite know what to do at first.  
“Did I come at a bad time?” Weaver walked closer to see if he could figure out for himself what was causing the resident tyrant so much distress, “I could come back if you have something....bigger on your plate.”  
“No! I assure you everything is fine.” Weaver watched Victoria from his place in the center of the lobby. He hated this woman, but that wasn’t why he was here. The detective had come here to warn her of something.  
“Well then, that maybe a temporary condition.” Weaver walks over to join Victoria at the receptionist desk, “It seems that Detective Rogers is close to solving the Eloise Gardner case.”  
“And why haven’t you stopped him?” Weaver was both pleased and a bit terrified at her expression. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it, only slightly annoyed at this. He was pleased, because he loved seeing this aristocratic menace in such a distressed state, but terrified because when she was distressed, that usually didn’t mean good things for him or his associates.  
“He has an emotional attachment to the case that makes it difficult to break.” Weaver leaned up against the back of the desk and made it look like he was being nonchalant about this. He wanted her to feel intimidated. Because that would mean that they could come to an agreement on how to make sure this Eloise wasn’t released to the world.  
“If you can’t break him of his little obsession, then I shall find someone who can do it in a more.....permanent fashion. The choice is entirely yours.”  
Weaver nods nervously as he scrambled to find a way to stop Rogers from making a grave mistake. He knew Belfry had friends in high places and if this was not handled delicately, this could end up ruining the man he called a partner’s life all over again. And if the man was who he thought he was, he would be in a world of hurt if that were to happen.  
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go attend to some other matters that don’t involve you.” And Victoria stalked out of the room and left Weaver standing there alone.

* * *

It was late into the night that night whenever he received that call. That call was from someone desperate for a person to disappear.  
How this woman found him, he had no idea...but he knew of her importance in the matter. She was a prominent figure in these parts.  
From what little he knew of the situation he found himself in, she decided that the only way she was going to get something she wanted, was to find someone who could destroy a young man once and for all.  
He knew nothing of this young man or his role or importance in his new client’s life. He did know that this wasn’t going to end well for the man who was about to become his target.  
So...the illustrious Victoria Belfry has come to grace my presence,” He watched her walked around the corner of the docks and smirked at his visitor.  
“Don’t flatter yourself Mr. Branson, this is purely a business call I assure you.”  
“And what does Victoria Belfry need my services for?” He grew excited. Getting to work for one of the most nastiest villains on the face of the earth was going to prove good for business. If he could prove himself to her, he could have a job for life.  
“I need you to help rid me of a thorn in my side.” Victoria walked over to the table this man sat in in the middle of the cafe. He watched as she looked around nervously before joining him at the table.  
“Don’t worry about anyone overhearing. I pay these people to keep quiet.”  
She visible relaxed a bit before turning her steely gaze to me.  
“Who is this thorn you speak of?” He watched as she placed an image of a young and very handsome man in a police uniform in front of him. He looked like the model officer. His uniform was all in order as was his very prim and prepared face. He seemed to carry himself in a manner than exuded confidence.  
“Ah! Detective Rogers. I’ve heard so much about him.” He thought about how he had run into the cop once or twice. Always a model officer and took his job very seriously. He looked up to Victoria Belfry, “Why do you want to get rid of him?”  
“He is close to discovering the location of something most valuable to me. If he finds it, it will be the end of me. I cannot allow that to happen.”  
“Haven’t you turned to his partner to help? I’ve heard Detective Weaver can be quite persuasive.”  
“I fear that Weaver has an emotional connection to his partner that makes it difficult for him to see clearly enough to get the job done. I need an outside man to put an end to this.”  
“And how can I help you then? I don’t usually lift a finger against police officers unless they directly threaten me.”  
“I want him gone. Erased. He shall never see the light of day again.”  
“And what would I get in return? Killing a police officer is usually a one way ticket to Death Row.”  
“You will receive papers and documentation that will allow you to leave the country unnoticed.”  
“And let’s say I refuse this. What then?”  
“Then I will make your life a living Hell. I know you and your kind. You don’t care about anything but your next job. And I know what you have done. They don’t call you the Candy Killer around here for nothing. I can go straight to the police and tell them what I know.”  
“I don’t care about anything but my next job?” She had to be kidding, “I care about not getting caught by the police.”  
“But what if I told you that there would also be a handsome payment for you if you also agree. You’ll get 3/4ths of it now and the rest upon completion of the task.”  
He looked down at his hands and the drink that sat within. He honestly needed the money and if killing this man meant that he would get that and a way out, it was worth it.  
“Alright, I’m in.”  
“Good! Now when can you start?”


	2. Chapter 1: The Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and the sweet comments on this story! I really am glad that you are enjoying it! I hope that you stay tuned for what’s to come! There are some interesting plot twists that I have to share with you in future chapters!  
> This is chapter is directly pulled from OUAT and Criminal Minds. The First half is the OUAT episode I’m basing this all off of, and the second half is based off of the Criminal Minds episode. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 1:**

Rogers felt so close to solving this case. Why was that? It was like there was one clue missing from the big picture that he couldn’t find. Why did this woman, this Eloise Gardner seem so familiar and yet so foreign to him all at the same time?  
That’s how he found himself in a side room at Roni’s. He poured over all of the evidence and case reports he had access to like they were his last resort.  
In reality, they were his last resort.  
He slammed down his hand on the table in frustration. He could count beyond his two hands the amounts of times he had poured over the evidence he had available to him. He hated how it was like every time he looked at the pieces over and over again, like Tilly had suggested to him, and yet he still couldn’t find anything different.  
“Hey!” He looks up to find Henry Mills walking in looking a bit confused, “What are you doing out here?”  
Rogers looks back down at the evidence in front of him and then sighed in defeat.  
“Some work. I just needed to get out of the office for a while.”  
“Is this the Eloise Gardner case?” Mills pointed toward the paperwork that was laid out in front of Rogers like it was a school paper that needed major editing.  
“Yeah it is.” Rogers’ eyes never left those papers, “I feel like I’m so close I can just touch it. I just can’t put the pieces together to find her.”  
“Have you ever considered that’s because she’s....not around to find?”  
“Of course she bloody is!” Rogers immediately grew standoffish at this. He wasn’t about to be told that this woman was dead. He would have known.  
“Ok! How do you know that?” The detective looked square in the eyes of the younger man in front of him and saw a genuine interest in the work that was laid out in front of them both. He knew that what Henry proposed wasn’t the truth, but he was happy for the man allowing him to speak his thoughts to him.  
“Ever since I started looking for this girl, I’ve felt a connection. Like...a bond. It’s like if you’ve spent enough time with a person or even the idea of the person, you get to know them. As crazy as it sounds, I feel like we’re.....we’re family. If she were dead, I would know it.”  
They just sit in silence for a few moments before Rogers rubbed his head in frustration.  
“There’s someone I have to see.”  
“Hey, why don’t I tag along?” The detective wasn’t sure he should drag a civilian into his work, much less Henry, “Come on! You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”  
After a half intense stare down, Rogers begins to nod his head.  
“Alright.” He then leaves the room with Henry in tow.  
They both hop into Rogers’ car and drive across town to the Troll bridge. He often wondered who in their right mind would create such a thing, but that didn’t stop him from making this a meeting place for any informant.  
He saw her standing there. Tilly. She was the odd one in this equation. Always managing to help, but at the same time, there always seemed like something was off with her. Rogers saw her from a distance peddling stolen watches. He cringed at this. He didn’t want to send her to jail for this so he was hoping that by trading information, he would be able to look past that.  
“Time’s always ticking away, isn’t it? That’s why you need a good time piece to grab hold before it’s too late.” Once Tilly saw that her favorite Detective Rogers had come to see her she quickly closed up shop and tried not to look too suspicious, “Hello detective!”  
“I need your help. The advice you gave me yesterday actually pointed me in the right direction for once. So, if you could take a look in here and tell me if anything jumps out at you.”  
Rogers hands her a notebook he had been pouring over for the many weeks now. He hoped that she would be able to point him in some sort of direction in regards to its contents.  
“I’ve....never seen any of this before.” She sifts through the book so fast, Rogers wondered if she was even looking at the pages, “But I do know her story. Bad home life, parents who didn’t care. I don’t think this girl was taken.”  
She hands Rogers’ back the notebook.  
“So you think she’s a runaway?” Henry finally spoke up.  
“I’ve been down that road, talked to the people in the streets and no one claims to have seen her.”  
“Trust me. People like them, don’t talk to people like you.” Tilly looked straight to Rogers. She then smiled, “I hope that I can find her, not just for her sake. It looks like you need it too.”  
Rogers watched as Tilly walked away. He hoped she was right about this.

* * *

Shortly after their interchange with Tilly, Rogers and Henry parted ways. Henry had convinced the overworked detective that he needed rest. He could see it in his friend’s eyes that he was exhausted. And thus this meant that it was his job to look out for his friend.  
As obedient as always, Rogers made his way back to his apartment. With practiced ease, he unlocked the door and made his way inside. He placed his keys down on a table by the door and then set down all his case files and gun on the table in the dining room. He sighed as he felt the exhaustion take its hold on him.  
He decided that he would drink a bit tonight. The warm flavor of Rum running down his throat always had a strange way of relaxing him when he needed it. Though he had actively been trying to stay away from drinks, he would, on occasion, make an exception.  
And tonight was one of those exceptions.  
He quickly poured himself a glass from a table covered in different wines, whiskeys and other drinks that he only used for special occasions. The ice echoed the warm brown color of the liquid being poured over that was inviting and pleasant to this weary cop’s eyes. Rogers smiled a bit whenever he took the first sip and felt the burn of the alcohol going down.  
However, the pleasure didn’t last long before he felt like he was being watched. He listened to his surroundings and quickly heard the sound of slow methodical footsteps growing ever so closely behind him.  
Rogers turned around and found a masked figure standing in front of him with a gun drawn.  
“You should listen better next time, detective. Listen to your partner when he says you need to stop looking into something. You should have made a deal. And now you will pay.” The man huffed as if for some reason he was connected to the very thoughts that were running through my head.  
“Listen to what?” Rogers wasn’t afraid. This wasn’t the first time he had stared down the barrel of a gun and probably wouldn’t be his last.  
“I think you and I both know what you needed to listen to.” And the man shot a bullet toward the wall behind Rogers’ head. The man didn’t flinch. This would make this very interesting, “Oh! You aren’t afraid of me?”  
“If I’m not showing fear, maybe it’s because I’m not afraid of you. Who sent you here? What are you trying to stop me from doing?”  
“Suppose I was to provide you that information, what’s in it for me?” The man said as he slowly drew closer to Rogers.  
“What’s in it for you, is that I don’t kill you and you can go free. But I need answers first.”  
Rogers watched as the man’s hand twitched between pulling the trigger and holding it parallel to the barrel of the gun. Rogers held out his hands to hopefully pull the gun out of this man’s hands and to secure the weapon, but the moment he did that, the leash on the man’s mind seemed to come off and the gun was right back in his face.  
“No I have to do this!” And another shot rang out as Rogers forced the gun into the air. The man then punched Rogers right in the face. The detective fell to the ground and shook his head free of the stars he was now experiencing.  
After a few seconds of stunned stillness, Rogers reached up for his gun sitting on top of the dining room table. However, the other man was faster and soon kicked Rogers in the gut sending him sprawling to the floor of his apartment. The officer quickly tried to get to his feet again to face this man, but was met with the hilt of some knife hitting him square across his left side of his forehead. He groaned and was layer out on the floor of his apartment. He laid there still and motionless as the man hovered over him with predatory glee.  
“So tell me Rogers, how many times do I have to use this before you pass out from blood loss?” And then the man quickly pounced on the vulnerable cop and then stabbed the knife into the center of the man’s abdomen. Rogers let out a sickening groan and if the man hadn’t already been a serial killer, he would have probably puked at the sound. But then duty overtook him again and he stabbed Rogers one more time in the gut before pausing.  
“I will kill you. I will...” Rogers’ voice came out in a whisper and was pain filled.  
“Shh! Don’t speak. You’ve lost a lot of blood. You’ll need your oxygen.” The man then straddled the prone officer and waved the knife in front of the man’s face. He was enjoying this way too much to care what he did. And yet, something inside of him said not to kill him, but to maim, “Do you know how much you have to study the human body to stab it repeatedly and not die? I don’t want to brag, but I’m somewhat of an expert.”  
Rogers watched through his hazy vision as the man removed his mask and smiled gleefully down at him. However, no part of his body was responding. The pain was too great, his mind was too muddled to think straight and all that did was cause Rogers to grow increasingly fearful for his life.  
His mind was brought back to reality when the man stabbed Killian again and this time, it was closer to his chest. He tried to wiggle away, but couldn’t.  
“My partner...” The man didn’t let Rogers even finish the thought before he straddled him again to silence him.  
“You’re partner couldn’t get through your thick skull of yours. Now, you are paying the price for that stubbornness. You’re not in charge so don’t be foolish.” The man shoved the blade into Killian’s arm this time. This caused the detective’s body to grow tense. “Now try to relax. Your body will grow numb, and the blade goes in so much easier. The hard part, is not passing out from the pain.”   
Rogers could feel the edges of his vision disappearing with every stab of the knife. And soon, he did pass out. Not before he laid his eyes on the man who assaulted him one last time. He tried to commit to memory what he was seeing before the lights in his head went dark.


	3. Chapter 2: The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tilly believes something is up and when no one can get into contact with Rogers, its up to Weaver and the gang to figure out what happened to their friend.
> 
> The format of the chapter will change as well. This just makes sure that it is the easiest to read for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will have mentions of some possibly graphic wounds. Just want to give everyone a heads up.

Chapter 2:

Tilly was becoming worried as she set up and tore down the chessboard over and over again. She waited for Officer Rogers to come into the park like she had instructed him to, but he was no where to be found. Even the kid Henry who was with him when they last spoke wasn’t even there. Or at least he wasn’t there yet.

“Hey!” Tilly turned around and spotted Henry walking toward her. She smiled nervously at him. It came from a place of knowing what needed to be said, as well as the fact that Rogers wasn’t with him. Henry must have picked up on that and gave her a quizzical look, “Hey are you okay?”

“I.....” She had considered lying to the young man, but then second guessed herself. “Rogers isn’t with you?”

“No. I convinced him to go home and get some rest while we waited for your answer. Perhaps he fell asleep and hasn’t woken up yet.”

“I just feel like something has happened to him.” Tilly wrung her hands together anxiously awaiting the arrival of her friend.

“How do you know that?” Henry crossed his arms and gave her the most endearing confused look she had ever seen on anyone.

“I....look....Ever since I met Detective Rogers, I felt some sort of connection to him. Like we are family of some sort. I don’t know what that means, or if we are really connected in the way my mind keeps telling me we are. If he is in fact connected, then wouldn’t I know if something happened to him?”

Henry opened and closed his mouth a few times before chuckling.

“You know Rogers told me the same thing this morning before we came and found you?” Tilly smiled, some of the nervous tension slowly freeing her mind a bit, “How about this. We wait for another thirty minutes and if he’s not here within that time, we go check in on him. I happen to know where his apartment is.”

“That sounds..” Tilly was interrupted when her stomach started growling a bit. She sheepishly looked down at her stomach and then up at Henry, “I don’t supposed we can go get a bite to eat while we wait?”

“Sure. Then we will come straight back here.”

“Thank you Henry. I really appreciate it.”

“No worries! I’ll do anything for a friend.” Henry pulled her into a side hug and then moved to leave to locate them some food.

Thirty minutes passed fast, however and there was still no sign of Rogers. This worried the both of them. Tilly struck up a game of chess which she was winning mainly due to the fact that Henry hadn’t quite known how to play. At the end of it, they paused their activities to search around the part for the wayward detective and their friend.

“He’s still not here.” Tilly’s voice was laced with anxiety, “Why wouldn’t he be here?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t we go check in with Weaver and see if he’s seen Rogers lately.”

Tilly nodded and then hopped in the small Toyota Prius that Henry drove around.

The travel to the station seemed longer than it normally was. Why did it feel that way? Was it because of the fear that she had over the disappearance of her friend, or was it because she would have to interact with Weaver after what he told her to say?

“We’re here.” Henry broke through her musings, “Do you want me to go in and find out or do you want to come with me?”

“I...I think I want to stay in here, if you don’t mind.” Henry watched many emotions come across Tilly’s face as if she was trying not to cry.

“Hey. Don’t worry about Rogers. He’s tough and we are going to find him.” Tilly smiled up at Henry and tried to put on a brave face for him. He then patted her shoulder and then left to go inside the station.

Tilly just waited for Henry to return. She wasn’t sure that something wasn’t wrong with this situation. But what it was, she had no clue. Why did this always have to happen to those around her?

It was about ten minutes later before Henry re-emerged with a distraught Weaver not far behind. Henry knocked on the window and gestured for her to come outside of the vehicle. He then moved toward the driver’s seat and removed the keys from his own car.

“Weaver wants us to go with him to check things out. Do you want to come with us?”

“I’d rather do that than sit and wait for answers. I’m coming.” Tilly smiled sadly over at her oldest friend here in The Heights. He looked concerned, but he smiled back nonetheless.

“We’re going to go check his apartment first.” Weaver instructed as he opened the door for Tilly in the back of the cruiser, “Then we will go to any other place we might think he was last seen at and go from there.”

Weaver was a fast driver, Tilly often thought as she was amazed at how quick this drive felt compared to that of the drive to the police station. She didn’t care however. What filled her thoughts after they arrived at Rogers’ apartment was concern, dread and fear for what they might find on the other side of the door.

“Henry, stay here with Tilly. I don’t know yet if there isn’t something inside that might harm you so until I figure that out, I suggest you two stay put.”

“Call me if you find anything please,” Weaver nodded at Henry who had spoken and then left.

Weaver was nervous. It wasn’t like his partner to drop off the face of the earth like he was currently. Before they even left the precinct, he had even tried to call the younger detective, but had no luck. Every time, Rogers’ phone would automatically move to voice mail.

“You’d better be alive,” Weaver whispered to himself as he neared the front door of his friend’s home. He knocked at first, and then didn’t hear anything. No footsteps to indicate someone was coming to the door, no sound of a voice calling back out to him; there was nothing.

Weaver then decided to try to call Rogers again, just to see if there was any reason that he may not have heard the phone. He swiftly dialed his friend’s number and waited for the connecting ring. What alarmed the senior detective was that when he heard the answering ringtone on the other side of the door, it didn’t sound like it was coming from Rogers’ bedroom. It sounded like it was in the middle of the living room.

“Rogers, I’m coming in!” Weaver shouted out to what he hoped was just a friend passed out in the middle of the room, not hearing his phone. What he found was that the door wasn’t even locked. Was Rogers that careless not to lock his door?

Weaver instinctively pulled out his gun and pointed it toward the barrier blocking him from the inside. He then gently opened it and then burst inside hoping to the stars that his friend and partner was on the other side looking bleary.

What he found made his heart stop.

On the floor right behind the couch was a puddle of blood. It hadn’t quite dried yet from the looks of it and was still a bright red color. It must have been super fresh. Or at least fresh enough that it hadn’t lost its original color quite yet.

Weaver then saw the bullet hole in the wall in the kitchen. His heart began to race and wondered if the blood he was seeing on the floor belonged to Rogers or whoever it was who attacked him. Either way, this was an assault and he was going to get to the bottom of this.

And the first order of business was to call Henry and let him know what he had found.

He quickly dialed the number this time and waited for Henry to pick up.

 _“Did you find him?”_ Was Henry’s concerned reply.

“No, but Henry, I need you to listen to me and not let Tilly hear much of this.” He waited for the young man on the other end of the line to reply his consent before continuing, “It appears that Rogers has been attacked and has been kidnapped.”

 _“How do you know this?”_ Was the connecting reply.

“There is evidence of a gunshot hole in one wall and then there is a puddle of blood on the floor here. His keys, wallet and police credentials are still there too.” Weaver tried see what else he could find. He saw Rogers’ keys, his wallet, all of his previous case files he must have brought over after his shift ended, and his gun. All of it was as if Rogers was still in the room and hadn’t mysteriously left, “Look what I need you to do is drive Tilly to my place and hang out till I can get this sorted. Can you do that for me? You have my permission to drive the squad car and if anyone gives you grief, call me directly. Is that understood.”

“ _Yes I understand, but Weaver, what happened to Rogers?_ ” He could practically hear the fear in the young man’s voice.

“That’s what I need to find out, but I can’t do that till I know you two are safe. Can you do that for me?”

“ _I am on my way._ ”

“Once I hang up, I’m going to text you my address. Go there and don’t let anyone inside until I call or tell you its okay.” He listened to the sound of his concerned friend before he hung up and texted Henry the location of his own apartment. Then his next call was to the office to let them know to send techs over to try and help him figure out where his friend was.

He then decided the other person he could rely on for help was Roni. He dialed what felt like the fifteenth number he had called that morning, before he heard the sound of Roni’s voice on the other line.

“ _This is Roni_ ,” Her familiar voice came through the speaker like it had countless times before.

“Roni, its me, Detective Weaver. Listen, I don’t have time to explain, but it appears that Rogers has been attacked and is injured. I am not in a good place at the moment to check and see if he’s been admitted to any hospital. I was wondering if you could do it for me.”

“ _What? Is he alright?_ ” She spouted off many more questions before Weaver was allowed to speak again.

“I don’t know. I’m in his apartment now. His stuff is untouched, but there are bullet holes and a puddle of blood on the ground. I will let you know what else I find. In the meantime, please find him.”

“ _I’m on it. Don’t worry Weaver. If he’s at any hospital, I will find him._ ” Roni’s determination was contagious. Weaver smiled despite his friend not knowing that.

“I don’t doubt you will.” Weaver the hung up and then crossed his arms as he waited for the techs to arrive. He replayed the conversation in with Victoria Belfry in his mind.

“ _If you can’t break him of this little obsession, then I shall find someone to do it in a more....permanent fashion._ ” If this was Victoria’s sick and twisted way of making sure she won, he would personally make sure that she didn’t.

No one hurt his friends and would get away with it. He would not turn a blind eye to her this time.

Not if he had anything to say about it.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weaver and Roni learn of what happened to Rogers and how badly he was injured.

Chapter 3:

Victoria watched the detective from a distance with much glee.

She observed all the machines hooked up to the man. There were heart monitors, monitors to check for his blood pressure, a tube feeding him oxygen shoved down his throat and the obscene amount of bandages that covered the man’s body. He had a gown on, but that didn’t make the bandages underneath any less visible.

She had hopefully scared him well enough to get him off the case. Though she had hoped this...Branson fellow would have finished the job rather than just maim the kid. Or the man she thought was a kid. But for what he was able to do in such a short amount of time was a miracle.

However, despite her anger toward the job not being completed quite the way she had expected, the new injuries that littered the young detective’s body could come in handy. They made him vulnerable to outside attacks. And in a land without magic, there was no one who could help him.

She remembered the few times she interacted with the man lying prone on the bed before the curse overtook them all. She remembered how courageous he became when it came to making sure his friends stayed safe. This case he was on was no exception to that rule. Weaver had often told him that the man’s connection to her prisoner was one of mystery. One that spanned long before their arrival in the world without magic. It still amazed her that the fight he had started long ago was still one he fought even if he couldn’t quite remember everything that was going on.

She was going to get to the bottom of this, even if her life depended on it. Belfry decided that she would make sure the officer knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he signed up for that case.

Now all she had to do was wait for him to wake up.

Her plan was simple.

Make sure that he was awake, and kill him herself if she had to.

But only if she had to.

Victoria smirked when she saw the doctors go in and begin to remove the tube shoved down Detective Rogers’ throat. She would bide her time, and when the moment was right, she would strike again.

* * *

Roni grew excited whenever she called the closest hospital to Rogers’ apartment. She had asked if a man named Detective Rogers had been dropped off there. They had confirmed that there was no one there by that name, but they did have a John Doe get dropped off with no identification. They said that this man might be the John Doe that she had been looking for and had said it might be helpful to them all for her to identify the man if she in fact did know him.

She made a quick phone call to Weaver to let her know that she thought she had found out where Rogers was and told him to meet her there. And then she set out to location him herself.

Roni arrived at the hospital, stomach all in knots. She didn’t know quite what to expect whenever she entered the place, but if Rogers was there, it didn’t mean good things.

The bartender walked over to the receptionist desk with a smile. She tried not to show how nervous she was for her friend. The lady behind the counter’s face seemed to alleviate some of that tension, but that still didn’t help her as well as she thought.

“Hi! I’m looking for which room the John Doe I was told about was in. I think he might be an old friend of mine. Can you help me figure that out?”

“What does this John Doe look like? I’m sorry we have several who fit the description of the unknown friend.” The receptionist replied.

“He has dark hair, stunning blue eyes, his face would be covered in stubble, and he might have had a police badge on him when he was brought in?” Roni hoped that the information that she was giving the woman behind the desk was helpful.

The receptionist made quick work of finding out what room the man was in.

“He’s in ICU room number ten. Are you family?” She looked at Roni with such expectation that Roni felt bad for what she was about to say. In a way she was family. Just not with the same version of Hook that now lied injured in some area of this hospital. That didn’t make her feel any less bad about it though.

“Yes I am.”

“Then I’ll let them know you’re coming.” The receptionist gave some final instructions on how to get to the ICU wing of the hospital before returning to her work. Roni was excited about this. She knew that if this John Doe was in fact Rogers, she would be elated that they found him.

Roni knew however, if Rogers was in fact in the ICU, it couldn’t have meant anything good for him health wise. She feared what she would see. Rogers had become a dear friend and even if he couldn’t quite remember everything that was going on.

They let her into the wing quicker than she had previously thought she would. Roni wasn’t sure if she wanted to see such a dear friend in such a state, but she didn’t think she had a choice in the matter. The bartender wanted to be there when he woke even if it was at his darkest or weakest. She knew he would do it for her. She knew he had done it for more than one member of this community more than once. If sitting by his bedside as they quietly waited for him to wake up was the smallest of sacrifices she could make for him, then she would do it.

The ICU wing of the hospital was quieter than she had expected. Though she suspected that had to do with a lot of the patients within the walls of this wing being unconscious. She walked through and then found the lucky number.

Room ten loomed in front of her like it was some mountain to be conquered. She could see the curtains to the glass lined wall was drawn and the lights within were dim. Roni could just make out the sound of the heart monitor beeping to the beat of the heartbeats it was keeping track of. Roni didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath till she heard that sound.

She took a breath to reorient herself before she finally plucked up enough courage to walk inside.

The John Doe wasn’t a mystery anymore when she laid eyes on Detective Rogers.

She saw him lying so still on his back looking extremely pale. His dark hair made his ghost white skin look like it was paper. His whole body down to the stump on his left arm was littered with bandages. The oxygen mask covering his face was the only soft sound Roni heard despite the constant beeping that indicated that her friend was very much still alive. The one thing that struck her as odd was that his right leg was heavily bandaged and elevated using pillows. She had never seen his legs not in pants before so it took her a bit to process what she was seeing.

Roni pulled up the chair sitting next to the bed and quickly grabbed Rogers’ good hand. She felt the tears begin to fall.

“Hey Rogers,” Roni tried smiling as if he was staring right at her, “I’m so glad we finally found you. Whoever it is that did this to you will pay for what they’ve done. I’m going to make sure of that for you.”

“We’ll make sure of that.” Roni whipped her head to the door to see Detective Weaver standing there looking just as shocked as I was when he laid eyes on his partner and friend, “Did the doctors say what happened?”

“No, but I haven’t asked because I haven’t been here long.” Roni looked between the injured officer and the senior one. She tried to put on a brave face for him, but knew that neither of them were feeling quite brave at the moment, “Where’s Tilly and Henry? Weren’t they with you?”

“Tilly wasn’t sure that she wanted to see Rogers in such a state, so Henry stayed out in the waiting room with her.”  
They fell into an uneasy silence as they both stared at Rogers.

“I have a feeling I know exactly who did this.”

“What makes you say that?” Roni looked back up at her oldest friend with concern.

“Victoria called me to her office yesterday and told me to put an end to Rogers’ investigation into Eloise Gardner. If I didn’t, she would make sure she did in a more....permanent fashion was I think the words she used.”

“And you think Rogers landing here in the hospital was related?” Roni looked more and more confused the longer she thought about it.

“I’m more than positive that’s the case. She talked to me, and then all of a sudden, Rogers is here in the hospital. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.” Weaver shook his head in muddled frustration and fury at the sight of his friend, and partner, in the state that he was in. He looked like a shell of the man that he had come to know as one of the best cops in the precinct.

The doctor then walked in and smiled sadly at the duo.

“You must be Detective Weaver, and I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced.” The doctor reached out his hand for Roni to shake.

“I’m Roni.” She smiled sadly back at the doctor.

“What a pleasure. My name is Dr. Hornstein. I will be the doctor in charge of making sure Mr. Rogers is able to fully recover.” The doctor then looked past the two of them down at Rogers who was still sound asleep on the bed. “I’m sure you want to know what happened?”

“Yes! Please don’t spare us any detail.”

“Well, he was brought in by someone I didn’t recognize really late last night. He was covered in blood and we rushed him straight to surgery. The surgeon found that he had been stabbed four times in the abdomen, once in each shoulder, once in each arm especially right above where his prosthetic hand would rest, and then quite a few times around his hips and upper thighs. His hamstrings on his right leg were severed as well. That will take quite a bit of time to heal.”

“What? Can you do that with just a knife?” Weaver tried not to look confused at the mention of this new word.

“A sharp one, yes. All you really have to do is cut the tendons attaching the muscles in his upper thigh to that of his knee. He will have to go through some rounds of physical therapy in order to gain the full range of motion back in that leg.”  
Roni looked between Weaver and their shared friend and tried to keep the emotions at bay. He was even in worse shape than he appeared.

“He even coded twice while we were operating on him.” The doctor looked morose at the thought of the young man dying twice, “We were only just able to keep him alive.”

“Is that why he’s in the ICU?”

“Yes. He is stable for now, however we have him on strong sedatives until we can be sure that he’ll make it through the next twelve hours before we take him off of them.”

“Thank you for taking such great care of him doctor. We really appreciate your help in the matter.” Weaver smiled warmly at the physician.

“Thank you for trusting me to do so.” The doctor nodded and then turned to leave.

Roni let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She turned her gaze away from Rogers and then felt the emotions running rampant. Who would want to hurt him? He was the sweetest human in all of Hyperion Heights. Why would someone go to this great of lengths to make sure he wouldn’t see the light of day again?

“You look troubled.” Weaver must have picked up on that as he saw the tears.

“I’m just worried. If the person who did this is still out there, who’s to say they won’t come back and finish the job?” Roni looked toward Weaver and felt the tears return.

“We will find this man. Or woman. They will not get away with this. Not only have they injured a friend, they laid hands on an officer which is against the law. No amount of bartering or fleeing will change what this man has done.”

“I hope that you are right.” Roni looked back to their friend and hoped that they would be able to bring Rogers’ attacker to justice.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone learns what happens to Rogers from his perspective.

Chapter 4:

It was the next day before anyone had moved from the hospital. They all eagerly waited for Rogers to wake up and for him to tell them his side of the story. Perhaps they might be able to glean something off of the information they knew was inside.

Weaver had a police detail posted outside of Killian’s hospital room. He feared that if there was no one to watch out for him when Weaver, Roni or anyone else wasn’t around, that the attacker would return; hence the officers posted outside the door.

They had finally received word that Rogers was now stable enough that they had taken him off the sedative. The doctors were hopeful that he would wake up soon. Though they didn’t expect him to be super lucid even if he did.

Tilly had finally joined them in the wing and was currently doing her best not to cry at the sight of her friend’s condition. She wished that she could heal him and be there for him as he had been there for her, but no amount of wishing would bring him back to the health she last saw him in.

Henry had gone back to his place to rest as did Roni, so that left Weaver and Tilly to wait for any news. He had informed Jacinda, Sabine and Drew of the situation and told them that he would be out of commission so to speak for a bit till they got to the bottom of this.

Sabine and Drew had joined them as Sabine cared for the young detective as much as anyone else. He was one of the first friends she had made in The Heights and she wasn’t about to change that. After hearing what had happened, she made a beeline for the hospital. It would be a cold day in August before she would abandon her friend in his time of need. Not after what he did to step up and help her.

“How is he?” Sabine walked over toward the door to talk to Weaver. Drew was outside the room talking to Tilly and comforting her.

“They say he’s stable enough to take him off the sedatives. We’re hoping that he will wake up soon.”

“That’s great news.” Sabine placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

They watched as the doctor entered and checked Rogers over before he grew excited himself.

“Great news!” He replied as he walked over to the duo, “He’s waking up. Now remember, he’s still very weak, so please don’t push him.”

“Thank you!” Weaver was the first one to his partner’s side. He could see the deeper rise and fall of Rogers’ chest as he worked on waking up, “Hello partner.”

Rogers was so still for a few moments that Weaver had thought Killian had fallen back asleep. But when the younger detective had breathed in deeply and sighed rather loudly, did that thought leave his mind.

Weaver could see his eyes struggle to break free from their confinement underneath his lids. He gently took Rogers’ good hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to let his friend know he was there and standing right beside him. The others were gathered just inside the door or just within the doorframe on the other side of it, watching in anticipation for Rogers’ return to consciousness.

“W...Whe..” But no sooner had the broken word escaped his lips, a coughing spell overtook him.

“Hand me that glass of water!” Weaver instructed Sabine who had been standing closest the cup in question. She swiftly handed it to Weaver before retreating back to her home on the wall. The elder detective gently probed the younger detective’s lips till they parted ways for the straw to enter, “Take slow sips.”

Rogers did as he was instructed and once he felt he had the strength to do so, he gently started sucking the water out of the cup.

Weaver watched until Rogers pulled the straw from his mouth. The young man gave a few more coughs before he finally was over the fit. Weaver remained still in expectation until Rogers opened his bright blue eyes and smiled when the look of recognition flitted over his partner’s face.

“Weaver.” Rogers groggily blinked and his words were slightly stirred as the sedatives he had been on were slowly starting to lose it’s hold over him.

“Hey there partner,” Weaver squeezed Rogers’ hand again before smiling.

“Wha...” He swallowed hard before taking another deep breath and found his voice again, “What happened?”

“You have been injured my friend.” Weaver tried not to let on how bad the injuries were. He didn’t want to stress Rogers out.

“I feel like a glorified pillow with all these bandages.” Of course that’s where Rogers’ mind would go. Always humor with this one when he was trying to break tension.

“You look like a glorified pillow.” Sabine chuckled and walked up to the opposite side of the bed from where Weaver stood. The look of surprise on Rogers’ face when Tilly, Drew and Henry walked in was the ultimate surprise.

“W..You’re all here?” Weaver watched Rogers tried not to look so surprised at the sudden appearance of his friends, but in his drugged state, it was very present. Everyone drew close enough to the bed, but not close enough to where he could possibly feel overwhelmed by the close proximity.

“We couldn’t let you deal with this all on your own.” Tilly called from the foot of the bed, “Besides, someone had to keep you company.”  
Everyone else voiced their agreements to Tilly’s words.

“Besides, you’re also my favorite detective. I wasn’t about leave you all alone.” Sabine gently pats Rogers’ left shoulder eliciting an emotional smile from everyone. Rogers just looked around and tried to keep the emotions off his face, but was failing. He saw everyone of his friends here in this room with him. It was touching and if he were in a better state, he might start crying.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Weaver suggested as he watched Rogers blink tears away blearily. He too gently pats Rogers’ right shoulder and then left his hand there as a sign of combo for. “We won’t let anything happen to you while we are here.”

The others had begun to file out of the room before Rogers spoke next. The doctor came to the door next which made their focused movements faster.

“Knock, knock.” The doctor knocked on the door frame once everyone had at least vacated the room and arrived in the hallway, “Care for some more company Detective?”

Killian looks up at the doctor and doesn’t quite know how to react. He just stares between Weaver and the doctor as if they were some foreign objects he couldn’t quite place.

“Do whatever you need to, sir. I will be getting out of your hair shortly.”

“No!” The sudden outburst from Rogers caused everyone to jump including himself. He hand’t meant to say that with such force, yet he wanted them to know he wanted Weaver to stay, “I would like it if you did stay.”

The doctor and Rogers both looked up at Weaver expectantly, before the elder man pulled up a chair and settled down by the hospital bed.  
The doctor smiled before going through his normal routine. First checking over all the sights where there were stitches and made sure that none of them had reopened or were infected, then he checked over Rogers’ breathing, his pulse and asked him a few questions. Rogers couldn’t answer all of them, but he at least tried and that made Weaver smile. His partner was here and awake which was as far cry better than what he was when Weaver first walked in.

After about ten minutes of the doctor checking Rogers over, he left which left a very exhausted detective lying still in the hospital bed. The doctor had explained that a nurse would return shortly with pain killers that might help lull him back to sleep, but until then, he asked that he stay awake until it arrived.

Weaver looked to the door and then back to his partner. He saw how unaware Rogers was at his senior partner’s stares and decided that now would be a good time to make his presence known. He once again took the younger detective’s hand in his own before giving it a good squeeze. Or at least as good of one he could give with the IV sticking out of it.

“Glad to see you aren’t dead.” Weaver made the comment as Rogers’ stunning blue eyes looked back at him. This elicited a small grin from Rogers. He then sighed closed his eyes trying to get comfortable.

A nurse quickly came in and smiled when she saw Rogers talking to Weaver. It was a quiet conversation, but at least the patient was lucid enough to hold one. That wouldn’t last long when she would administer the pain killers. The morphine and the sedatives that had kept him under for so long was also what was keeping him from feeling all the wounds that littered his frame.

“Hello Detective Rogers. How are you feeling this morning?” The nurse started fiddling with the leads and wires attached to the younger man’s body.

“I’m...I’m alright. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.” He chuckled which drew out a forceful cough.

“Well you haven’t quite been hit by a truck, but it’s pretty close.” She quickly found the part of the IV line which allowed them to administer medicine. She put the end of a syringe she had brought in into the hole inside it and squeezed all the contents out of it and into the IV line. There it would enter his body and help him to hopefully be oblivious to all the pain that accompanied the type of injuries he had, “Mr Rogers, I just gave you some pain killers. It will make you very sleepy. If you feel anything other than drowsiness, please let us know. Sometimes people don’t have the best reactions to this medicine.”

Rogers looked up at her and nodded. He was already feeling the effects and almost immediately felt tired. He adjusted as best as he could and then slowly he closed his eyes.

“Sleep well partner. I’ll talk to you more when you’re more alert.” Weaver squeezed Rogers’ hand one more time before standing up. He waited till Rogers could no longer keep his eyes open and his breaths became even before letting go and walking out with the nurse. He smiled at her as she looked back at the man lying so still in the bed, “Thank you for everything you’ve done so far to keep my friend alive.”

“No worries! It’s the least I can do.” She gently patted Weaver’s arm before she left the hallway to attend to her other duties.  
Weaver just stood there and watched as Rogers laid there asleep. He hoped that this would be the end of this for him and that he was already well on the road to recovery. Yet he had every fear that this wasn’t the end of Rogers’ suffering.

But he was going to do everything in his power to stop it.


End file.
